Autonomous Dust Mitigation in Mining and Construction Applications

Abstract

The autonomous dust mitigation m mmmg and construction applications system disclosed herein may comprise a system that automatically detects dust at mmmg and construction sites and dispatches dust mitigation equipment in response to such detections. The dust areas detected may be assigned priorities within the system, and may be addressed or ignored based on various parameters dictating the behavior of the system. If, for example, an area of dust is not currently in use by local equipment, the system may not dispatch equipment to address that area. If, on the other hand, an area of dust is affecting a high priority or high risk area of the site, the system may prioritize the dispatching of dust mitigation equipment to that area over other areas. The system described in the present invention comprises an autonomous dust mitigation system used in mining and construction applications that contains a plurality of sensors, a computing device, a dust area mapping system, a dust area prioritizing system, and a plurality of dust mitigation equipment.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction applications system, comprising:
 a plurality of sensors;   a computing device;   a dust area mapping system;   a dust area prioritizing system; and   a plurality of dust mitigation equipment.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said plurality of sensors detect a plurality of dust area information;   wherein said plurality of dust area information includes size, speed, direction, height, relative height, position, and relative position;   wherein said plurality of sensors transmit said detected plurality of dust area information to said computing device;   wherein said dust area mapping system is installed on said computing device;   wherein said dust area mapping system interprets said detected plurality of dust area information to determine a dust area map;   wherein said dust area prioritizing system is installed on said computing device;   wherein said dust area prioritizing system determines an appropriate dust area priority based on said plurality of dust area information and said determined dust area map; and   wherein said computing device instructs said plurality of dust mitigation equipment to perform a dust mitigation.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said plurality of sensors comprise a LADAR device.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said plurality of sensors comprise a stereo camera.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said plurality of sensors comprise a ranging sensor.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said plurality of sensors comprise a LADAR device.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said dust area prioritizing system comprises a plurality of environment data.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said dust area prioritizing system determines an appropriate dust area priority based on said plurality of dust area information, said determined dust area map, and said plurality of environment data; and   wherein said computing device instructs said plurality of dust mitigation equipment to perform a dust mitigation.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the planner coordinates with the overall site planner to deconflict the dust mitigation equipment and the other equipment such as haul trucks.